The invention relates to a method for specifying, executing and analyzing method sequences for the recognition of dispatch labels and form entries.
The recognition is performed using OCR reading systems and video coding systems, where, if the reading results of the OCR reading system are not clear, the corresponding images of the dispatch labels or forms are sent to video coding stations where manual or partly manual coding with different coding steps is effected using databases for the labels. The labels to be read on the dispatches are largely addresses, and the databases used are address or forwarding dictionaries. The stipulated method sequence as the fundamental part of flow control is used to monitor and control the flow of processing for each individual dispatch or each form.
The method sequence defines for each dispatch or each form the sequence of the individual processing steps and the final decision regarding what needs to be done with the dispatch or with the form in the overall system. For all decisions, all information which is relevant to the decision and is available at this time is evaluated. Information relevant to the decisions is, by way of example, details about the type of sorting machine, the type of the individual coders and recognition results obtained to date. When all the necessary steps have been carried out, the results are sent to the sorting machine so that the dispatch or form can be distributed on the basis of this result.